theboogers

going to get my father, 80 years old, a 2000 c230k sedan or c280 sedan. which model is the best and what options should i look for?

meanie

Hard to say which one is " better ".
If he drives fairly easy, the economy of the C 230 is hard to beat, but you still have lots of GO, when you jump on it.
For a gentleman of your dad's age, I would look for heated seats.
Anything else in the way of conveniences is pretty much standard.

JimPurdy

I would suggest having your father get into and out of a W202 before selecting one. The W211 I have now is much easier to get in and out of. I do miss my C280 but I don't miss the entry and egress. I always felt like I was putting the car on to wear. After I was in and got my body situated, I really liked the driving and handling characteristics. I also liked the appearance of the W202 much better than the W203s.

DougandhisC280

If it's a 2000 you really can't go wrong. Both engines are very solid. The only thing that does go wrong is something wierd in the electrical system, but this is rare. One thing that gives this car easy access is that it has the handle on the headliner on the driver's side. Most cars omit this on the driver's side but Mercedes has always left it in. I'm glad to see an 80 year old will be driving a Mercedes instead of a Buick Century or Mercury Grand Marquis.

theboogers

thanks for the info. i have a friend who is a service manager and he said to avoid the 2001 models because of problems. therfore i am getting a 2000. i showed him a e model but it is about the same size as his 735il and he wants to down size. i was wondering if sunroof, etc was standard or if the offer everything as options. thanks

JimPurdy

Almost all of the C280s and the majority of C230s had sunroofs. The sunroof was an option but was included in one of the packages. In any case, you will probably have to look hard to find one without a sunroof.

theboogers

jp- i will take your advice and get him a older e model. thanks for the input.